Folding seat



June 3, 1930. B. LAURSEN 1,761,673

FOLDING s-EAT Filed April 1l. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet l June 3, 1930. 5.1L. LAuRsEN 1,761,673

' FOLDING SEAT Filed April 11. 192s s sneet-she'et 2 Patented June 3,v l1930 UNigTEV'sTATE-s PATENT OFFICE BRUNO LAURrs Lannsnrt, or nun-snm, rtOnrDA, fissrenon, BYv ivinsnn Assiem-v Mnivrs, or rOnrY-EIGHT PEP. cnnr re cnnnnwnrnn Limena contratti-Inscrire-. v RATED, or GLEARWATER, FLORIDA, Ys..conronnrrorr OF FLORIDA g i i position.

FOLDING SEAT Reille for'applicaton SerialvNo. 185,971,` led April 23, 1927. This application filed April 11, 1928.v Serial no. 269,292. i i

This application is filed under rule 173, to take the place of application Serial No.

V18l' ,`971,gfiled April 23, 1927, which was inadvertently abandoned.

This invention pertains to folding furniture, particularly folding seats. l

An object of the'invention is to provide a folding seat which may be attached to or set into a wall or partition, thereby saving space in the room.

Another object is to provide the seat with a back, to add to the comfort of theuser.

Another object is to provide on the back of the seat a rail on which linen rnay be hung, thereby still further econornizing in space.

Another object is toprovide a seat without any support resting on the floor tointerfere with the feet of the user or cause accidental folding of the seat when in operative Another object is to provide an arrangement that may be opened or-closed by the operator with one hand by asinglecontinuous movement.

Another object .is to design the device to remain either open or closed without use of fasteners of any kind. i

Another object is to enclose the entire 4assembly in a cabinet that is completely assembled at the factory ready for installation.

Another object is to design'the device so that the face or panel may be furnished to harmonize with the Vsurroundings in the room.

Another object is to provide a folding seat that may be built'into or attached to a wall and have above it a .shelf for a telephone, with space under the shelf for the telephone bell box.

Further and other objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims and shown in the drawings, which by way of illust-ration show what is now considered the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a front view ofthe seat closed.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Fi Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 but with the seat open.

Fig. 4 is a view of Fig. 3 from the right. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a long bench-like seat. i

Fig. 6 is'a front view ofthe seat with telephone shelf. Y f

Fig. 7 is a crosssection on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 7 but with the seat'open.

VThe arrangement may best be understood by reference to Fig. 3, which shows a crosssection of the seat with a back,.while in open or operative position.

The seat 10 and back 12 are connectedV by hinges 14. The cabinet is formed of side members 16, base board 18, cap 20, andrear Vwall 21.

. Support for seat 10 is provided by brace member 22 attached at its lowerend by hinge 24 to base 18 of the cabinet, and ati tached at its upper end by trunnions proj ectly vertical portion 32 and a lower hooked end portion 34 as shown in Fig, 3. A f

When open, vback 12 inclines rearwardly from hinge 14 and its upper edge rests on cross member 36 extending across the upper portion of the cabinet below cap, 20.

Fast to the rear of seat back 12 are a pair of hook-like members 38, one toward each side of the back and provided with a rod 40 passing from one to .the other. i Table linen, as 41, may be hung on rod 40. The linen is easily reached while the seat is open by simplydraw-` ing forward the seat back 12. I

lt -will be Observed from Fig. 3 that the weight of the occupant of the seat acts around bar '26! as a fulcruin to hold the ends of bar 3 0 securely inthe upper end of hook groove 80, thereby preventing any possibility of the seat closing while in use. It will also be seen that Vthe seat is entirely supported from the cabinet, there being no support from the oor and no fastening devices.

To close the device, the outer free edge of seat 10 is first raised about 26 as a fulcrum until bar 30 is out` of hook groove 34 and in the straight groove 32, whereupon the outer edge of the seat is pushed, downwardly until the parts assume the positions shown in Fig. 2. In this position, seat 10 and back 12 form the front of the cabinet, all other working parts being enclosed therein. The upper ends of hooks 38 are behind member 36, so that back l2 is locked against displacement, and the ends of rod 30 are near the upper ends of grooves 32. Grooves 32 slope toward the rear at their lower ends, therefore there is no tendency for seat l() to open accidentally while in closed position.

To move the device from closed to operative position the operator grasps handle 42, provided for the purpose, and draws seat l0 outwardly and upwardly until rod 30 enters grooves 34 and then pushes downwardly on the outer edge of the seat until rod 30 is at the upper end of grooves 34, in which position the seat is ready for use. No fastening devices are required to hold the parts in either open or closed position.

Fig. 5 shows an arrangement exactly similar to that described above, except that the seat is long enough to seat several people instead of only one.

The modification shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 is exactly similar to the arrangement in Figs. 1-4 inclusive, so far as the seat is concerned, but the seat has no back. rThis modification is intended for use as a telephone seat, thereforethe cabinet is provided, above the seat, with. a shelf 44 upon which is placed the telephone instrument 46 so as to be located within the upper portion of the cabinet 43.

Underneath shelf 44 is placed the bell boX 50 fast to the rear wall 2l of the cabinet. Across the front of the cabinet, below the shelf and. above the upper edge of the seat while closed, is a board 52. Board 52 conceals bell box 52, but perforations 54 in the board permit the sound of the bell to be heard.

The seat remains in either open or closed position without fasteners, and is readily opened or closed by one hand of the operator, therefore may be manipulated while the other hand is holding the telephone receiver.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the construction herein specifically illustrated but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

I claiml. In a device of the class described, in combination with a unit having a horizontal operative position and a vertical inoperative position, a stationary upright member having spaced uprights and grooves at opposed sides thereof, each groove with a lower short section extending forwardly at substantially the level of said unit when in operative posi.- tion and then upwardly and also with a long section extending upwardly from the rear end of the short section and inclined toward the front of the upright member, means on said unit to engage said grooves of said upright member, means for supporting said unit inoperative position, and a back for the unit having an inclined operative position and a vertical inoperative position.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination with a unit having a horizontal operative position, a stationary upright member having spaced uprights and grooves at opposed sides thereof, each groove with a lower short section extending forwardly at substantially the level of said unit when in operative position and then upwardly and also with a long section extending upwardly from the rear end of the short section and inclined toward the front of the upright memmeans on said unitto engage said grooves of said upright member, means for supporting said unit in operative position, and a back for the unit hingedly connected thereto and guided between the spaced uprights of the upright member and arranged in its inoperative position to rest above and in alinement with the unit whereby the two close the front of the stationary upright member with said supporting means back of the unit.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination with a unit having a horizontal operative position and a vertical inoperative position, a stationary upright member having an upper cross member and also having spaced uprights and grooves at opposite sides thereof, each groove with a lower short section extending forwardly at substantially thc level of said unit when in operative position and then upwardly and also with a long section extending upwardly from the rear end of the short section, means on said unit to engage said groove of said upright member, means for supporting said unit in operative position, and a back for the unit having an inclined operative position and a vertical inoperative position and adapted to rest in inclined operative position against said upper cross member of the upright member.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature.

BRUNO LAURIS LAURSEN. 

